1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the interaction of multiple processors in an electronic system and, in some embodiments, to reducing power consumption in a computer system having a central processing unit and a coprocessor.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Many electronic systems, such as desktop, laptop, or handheld computer systems, portable media players, and mobile phones, include at least one processor for executing instructions to provide various functionalities to a user. For example, in computer systems, central processing units (CPUs) may be used to execute software applications, which may include, for example, operating systems, productivity software, antivirus software, multimedia players, and games. Some electronic systems may actually include multiple processors, such as a CPU and a coprocessor, to increase the processing capabilities of such systems.
For example, in addition to one or more CPUs, a computer system may also include one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). These GPUs may be adapted to efficiently perform graphics rendering functions, allowing rendering tasks (or other tasks) to be offloaded from the CPUs to the GPUs of such systems. While a GPU (or other coprocessor) is performing certain processing tasks, such as graphics rendering for a particular application, a CPU may wait for the GPU to complete such tasks before resuming operations or continuing a current thread of execution. In some instances, the CPU may wait for the GPU in an interrupt mode, in which the CPU waits to receive an interrupt from the GPU when the GPU completes its work or requires additional information from the CPU. In other instances, the CPU may wait for the GPU in a polling mode, in which the CPU continuously polls the GPU to inquire its status. In many instances, operating in the polling mode may result in decreased latency and improved performance in comparison to operating in the interrupt mode, but may also result in reduced power and processing efficiency.